p2pnet.net Q&A:- When it comes to push and shove, the vast majority of the traditional print and electronic corporate media kowtow to their vested interest owners.

But the once all-powerful press corps is being slowly, and inexorably, supplemented, if not actually replaced, by online scribes called bloggers; men, women and even children who answer only to their own consciences, placing honesty above self-serving, self-interest.

Who are these 21st digital century news, information and data gatherers and disseminators?

Starting today, p2pnet will present regular interviews with some of them. And first in this occasional series is Ernesto, the man who runs Torrentfreak, based in The Netherlands.

Started only a year ago, on November 1, 2005, to be precise, Torrentfreak is undeniably one of the fastest risers and, dealing mainly with all things BitTorrent, it’s very definitely still on its way up.

p2pnet: What do you do when you’re not producing copy for Torrentfreak?

Torrentfreak: A couple of things. Torrentfreak is just a hobby, so I still need to work to pay the mortgage. I’m currently writing up my thesis for my PhD in psychology. The plan is to finish this later this year and then move on to another job. Other activities I enjoy are playing soccer, playing poker and watching movies.

p2pnet: You live in Holland. Were you born there?

Torrentfreak: Yes, born and raised.

p2pnet: Are you married and if so, do you have any kids?

Torrentfreak: I’m not married yet, and I like to keep it that way for a while. I do live together with my girlfriend. We don’t have children yet, so far so good.

p2pnet: If not, what would you tell them when you do have children?

Torrentfreak: I will read them Files Are Not for Sharing every night before they go to bed.

p2pnet: What made you decide to launch a column centering on BitTorrent?

Torrentfreak: I’ve been using BitTorrent for quite a while, and the motivation to start Torrentfreak was to share some of the tips and tricks I was using. However, I noticed that there is a lot of BitTorrent related news to report on, so I added the news part. Torrentfreak got a fair amount of attention right from the start, and that motivated me to continue the news reporting.

p2pnet: What did you think when BitTorrent in effect moved to the Dark Side? Or don’t you agree that it did?

Torrentfreak: I don’t agree that Bittorrent moved to the Dark Side. They made an agreement to remove all copyrighted content from their search engine. Basically all BitTorrent.com said to the MPAA was, “sure we will remove copyrighted content if the copyright owners ask us to do so”. This isn’t very different from the policies other torrent sites have. BitTorrent hates to get negative publicity, so it’s better to join them than to fight them in this particular case. And if you take a look at BitTorrent.com, you will notice that not much has changed. Actually, they still index the same trackers as other BitTorrent search engines. I actually encourage every other BitTorrent site to make a similar agreement.

p2pnet: You seem to know your way around BT. Do you have a technical background?

Torrentfreak: No, absolutely not. I’m pretty much self taught when it comes to BitTorrent and computers, with a little help from Google and Wikipedia of course.

p2pnet: What, in your view, is the best p2p application – other than BT, of course

Torrentfreak: Well, to be honest, I don’t use other p2p applications at the moment. I guess it also depends on the content you’re looking for. I used Soulseek in the past to find albums from less popular artists. Limewire is a great application if you’re looking for a single tracks, but I never use it.

p2pnet: If you could sit the suits who run the Big Four record labels and Big Six Hollywood studios around a table, what would you say to them?

Torrentfreak: Don’t try to fight p2p distribution of music but embrace it. Listen to your customers and learn from them. The Big Four are years behind. More and more people move from CDS to mp3s, but they’re still reluctant to put digital albums online. I’m pretty sure they will see music sales rising if they release DRM free digital albums for a reasonable price.

p2pnet: Could a digital download equal a lost physical sale?

Torrentfreak: No, absolutely not. Not even close. Ten years ago people went to the record store to check out new albums. Now they are downloading albums to check them out. Some people might actually decide to buy a physical copy if they like it. My suggestion to the record labels would be to develop an online store where people can preview albums as much as they like, and then decide if they want to buy a copy or not.

p2pnet: Do think the labels are reasonable companies charging reasonable prices for their downloads?

Torrentfreak: I think $0.99 a song is a little overpriced. But it’s not only the price, but also the DRM that comes with it that hold people back from buying these songs.

p2pnet: If not, what’s a reasonable price, in your view?

Torrentfreak: That depends on the costs they make. Online distribution is cheaper than the distribution of physical copies, so digital albums should definitely be cheaper. Intuitively, I would say that $5 is a reasonable price for a full album (without DRM).

p2pnet: Do you think it’ll ever be possible to develop a reasonable DRM application?

Torrentfreak: No, absolutely not. If they really want to root out piracy they should offer equal products. Good quality and no DRM. A lot of people download songs because it’s easy and convenient, not only because of the money. I’m sure that piracy will drop if the labels launch a service where people could get the same product in a legal way for a reasonable price.

p2pnet: Do you think it’s OK for the labels, studios and software companies to be so able to use tax-payer funded police forces as industry cops when they’re raiding alleged file sharing operations, say?

Torrentfreak: That depends on the nature and the size of the piracy network, I guess.

p2pnet: If the software and entertainment companies were to use p2p technologies for handling and distribution, would they see a reduction both in counterfeiting and duplicating and in costs associated with physical product?

Torrentfreak: Yes, I’m sure of it.

p2pnet: Should the cartels be allowed to have a definite presence in schools and universities via their so-called ‘educational’ programs?

Torrentfreak: Sure, if pro-piracy, or copyright reform movements can too. But I believe there are more important things to teach our children.

p2pnet: Should parents he held legally responsible for something their children may, or may not, have done?

Torrentfreak: Depends on what the children did, and if the parents could have intervened. Parents are responsible for their children by law, and that’s a good thing because it protects children from being used by their parents for all kinds of illegal activities. But if we talk about illegal downlopading, it is of course absurd to prosecute a parent for something his or her nine-year old did. I’m happy that in Holland, downloading a couple of songs is not a crime that somebody will be sued for.

p2pnet: Are the labels and studios as black as some people paint them to be?

Torrentfreak: The MPAA and RIAA just do their job, they are a lobbying organizations. They are hired to scare people and start insane lawsuits. I do think they are a little out of touch with reality, but I understand what they are doing (although it’s totally wrong). It is not up to the RIAA or MPAA to make the change, it’s up to the labels and studios.

p2pnet: Do you play a musical instrument, or sing, or do you belong to a band?

Torrentfreak: No

p2pnet: What’s your favourite music site?

Torrentfreak: Last.fm, the place to be to keep track of the stuff you listen to, and to discover new songs and artists.

Torrentfreak: What’s your favourite kind of music and who’s your favourite artist?

p2pnet: I have a broad taste when it comes to music – jazz/soul, hip-hop, and a lot of indie pop

p2pnet: Have you done any other writing online?

Torrentfreak: No, torrentfreak.com is my first attempt.

p2pnet: What would you say to someone who’s contemplating starting a blog?

Torrentfreak: Go for it, but watch out, it can be addictive. If you plan to make it someting more that a personal blog, pick a niche, and try to sound like an expert. That worked for me.

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 27th, 2006 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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